Okay, so, I’ve been eyeing the PRADA Medium Galleria Saffiano Leather Bag for a while now. It’s just so classy, you know? But the price tag? Ouch. It’s like, $2750 or something crazy like that. So, I thought, why not try to remake it myself? I mean, how hard could it be, right?
First things first, I needed to get a good look at the bag. I spent hours looking at pictures and videos online. I noticed the bag comes in four sizes, I chose to remake the medium one because I don’t want it to be too big or too small. I even went to a Prada store to see it in person. Sneaky, I know, but I had to get a feel for the size and the material, see the details of this bag. It’s a pretty decent size, about 25cm in height and 33cm in width. That’s just big enough to fit my everyday stuff.
Then came the fun part: finding the materials. The original is made of Saffiano leather, which has this cool cross-hatch texture. I searched everywhere for something similar. I finally found a decent faux leather that had a similar look and feel. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was close enough, and way more affordable!
Next up was the hardware. The Prada bag has these shiny gold-toned metal pieces. I found some similar-looking ones at a local craft store. They weren’t real gold, obviously, but they had the right look.
The real challenge was putting it all together. I’m not exactly a pro with a sewing machine, but I managed. I sketched out a rough pattern based on the pictures I had studied. There were a lot of straight lines, which was good, but the curved parts were tricky. I sewed the leather pieces together, trying to mimic the original bag’s design. I messed up a few times, had to rip out seams and start over, but eventually, it started to look like a bag!
The Prada Galleria has these two zippered compartments on the sides. Apparently, they’re big enough to fit A4 paper, which is pretty handy. I tried my best to recreate those, and I think they turned out okay. Not perfect, but functional.
- Get the materials: Faux Saffiano leather, gold-toned hardware, lining fabric, zipper.
- Study the bag: Look at pictures, videos, and if possible, the real thing.
- Create a pattern: Sketch out the different parts of the bag.
- Cut the fabric: Follow the pattern and cut out the leather and lining pieces.
- Sew it all together: This is the hard part, take your time and be patient.
- Add the hardware: Attach the metal pieces to the bag.
After all that work, I finally had my very own Remake PRADA Medium Prada Galleria Saffiano Leather Bag. It’s not perfect, it doesn’t look exactly like the real thing, and I know some of the stitching is a bit wonky, but I’m pretty proud of it! It’s definitely a conversation starter, and I saved a ton of money. The whole thing cost me less than $100, can you believe it?
It might not be a real Prada, but it’s mine, and I made it myself. And that’s pretty cool, right? If you’re thinking about trying to remake a designer bag, I say go for it! It’s a fun project, and you’ll learn a lot along the way. Just be prepared for a lot of trial and error, and don’t expect it to be perfect.
The steps:
- Obsess over the bag online.
- Stalk it in stores.
- Scour the internet for similar materials.
- Become a sewing machine warrior (or at least try to).
- Celebrate your (imperfect) creation!
If you have any questions or want to see more pictures of my creation, feel free to comment below!